"Oh yes, we all support, Mr. President supports thoroughly, all support, cooperatives support the red cooking oil program," he noted in a conversation with Hotman Paris in North Jakarta on Saturday.
The trade minister highlighted that red cooking oil has a better vitamin content than palm cooking oil in general.
"Actually, red cooking oil is healthier because the vitamins do not run out," he remarked.
However, Hasan said a problem was to change the mindset of people not accustomed to using commercial palm cooking oil (MGS).
"Actually, red oil is healthier, as it does not run out of vitamins. Only if you fry crackers, (you will see) it's shiny if you use plain oil. Red oil has an opaque color. Hence, if you fry white crackers, the color turns brown, but it is tastier. If you fry chicken, use chicken flour fried in red oil is more crispy, even sweeter," he explained.
The government, through the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry, encouraged cooperative-based red cooking oil production, as an alternative to commercial MGS that is commonly used by the community.
The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry had stated that three pilot projects of red edible oil, spread across North Sumatra, could commence production in January 2023.
The selling price of red cooking oil was Rp9,000 per liter, following fluctuations in the CPO price. It could be an alternative to commercial palm cooking oil, with nutritional content that one should consider.
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Translator: Sinta Ambarwati, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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